Cupcake
by Seohyun-Moon
Summary: Valentine's Day is approaching. With every villager asking someone out to the dance, Sable remains in her little shop sewing away, ignoring the rest of the world around her. Until one day... an old flame is rekindled.
1. Chapter 1: Invitation

Chapter 1: Invitation

Mabel hurriedly ran into the store as she clutched the small envelope in her hand with excitement.

"Sisters!" Mabel cried at the top of her voice, "We have an invitation from Dr. Shrunk! There's a Valentine's Day dance coming up at Club 101!"

Labelle entered through the right hallway of the store, "A dance?! How wonderful!" she spoke happily.

Sable on the other hand, remained silent. She continued sewing, concentrating on her pattern carefully. It was a newly designed dress she had conjured up from the night before. Labelle and Mable looked into her direction and waited for a response.

"…Ahem," Mabel said pretending to clear her throat. Sable remained fixated on the dress.

"AAHHHHHHHHEMMM," Mabel said once more even louder. Yet again Sable didn't look up from her sewing trance.

Mabel shook her head in frustration and looked around her. She spotted a small spool of red thread nearby and picked it up. She threw the spool over to Sable, which bopped her on the head.

"Hey!" Sable said annoyed as she rubbed her head, "What is it Mabel?!"

"THERE'S A DANCE!" Mabel repeated herself, "Didn't you hear me earlier? Dr. Shrunk invited the whole town and we're invited too!"

"Ohh, well that's nice," Sable commented with disinterest. She went back to sewing.

Mabel heaved a sigh. Getting Sable excited for anything was like getting a rock excited that the grass was growing. Labelle tapped Mabel on the shoulder.

"It's okay, if she doesn't want to go, she doesn't have to," Labelle suggested with a shrug and a small sigh.

"Yes, but haven't you noticed for a while now?" Mabel asked quietly while pulling Labelle off to the side with her.

"Noticed what?" Labelled responded with a whisper. The two hedgehog sisters looked towards Sable, making sure she wasn't overhearing their conversation. She was still preoccupied with the dress, the sewing machine making such a loud clacking noise throughout the room that it was unbearable to hear anything else.

"Tom Nook!" Mabel mentioned, "He hasn't visited Sable for a long time now. Ever since he got back from the city and began his own business here, he has yet to say even a hello to Sable."

"He is a busy raccoon after all," Labelle replied, "he has two businesses."

"His nephews are taking care of one of the stores! All he does in his home shop is stand there! The least he can do is walk over and say hello to Sable," Mabel replied with great frustration.

"We can't force him to talk to Sable," Labelle replied as she crossed her arms.

"Yes but don't you see," Mabel tried to explain, "Sable hasn't gone out and done anything for herself in a long time. Everything she's done, it's been for us. Don't you think it's time to change that?"

Labelle looked back at Sable, who was still in trance with the dress.  
"She has been working hard after all. She definitely needs a break," Labelle answered with some concern.

"See! And on top of that, have you noticed the orange scissors she's been using?" Mabel mentioned as they both looked back to Sable again, who was cutting out the extra thread from the dress, with the orange scissors.

"What about it?" Labelled asked curiously.

"She's recently been using those," Mabel replied as she lowered her voice a little more, "While Tom Nook was working in the city, he gave her those scissors!"

Labelle gave a little gasp. She didn't know Sable and Tom Nook had romantic feelings for one another.

"See?!" Mabel nudged Labelle's shoulder, "We have to help her and Tom Nook speak to each other once more."

"How do we do that though? They won't meet each other face to face. They always act as if they're busy all the time," Labelle sighed.

"I've got an idea," Mabel giggled, "but I'll need your help."

~to be continued…


	2. Chapter 2: Love Letters

Chapter 2: Love Letters

"You sure this will work?" Labelle commented as she peered over Mabel's shoulder who was aggressively writing across the paper.

"It should!" Mabel quickly answered as she stopped writing and began proofreading.

"Your handwriting looks really girly. Sable is going to know it's you writing these letters," Labelle critiqued.

Mabel placed down the letter with frustration, "Well what should we do then?!" Mabel asked feeling annoyed.

"Going to sleep?"

Mabel and Labelle turned their heads over to the right and saw Sable, standing there at the doorway, looking a little tired. Mabel moved her arm a little to hide the fact that she was writing.

"We're just making up a game!" Mabel laughed pretending that was all they were doing.

"Of course! You know Mabel's antics at this time of night," Labelle giggled in return.

Sable blinked, "You two can continue your fun, but can you keep it down? I'm trying to rest up for tomorrow," Sable replied yawning a little as she walked back up the steps slowly.

"Sorry!" Mabel apologized as she watched Sable go up the steps.

Mabel and Labelle waited until they heard Sable's door close upstairs. Once they heard the click of the door lock, they proceeded on with their writing. After an hour of proofreading and making sure both letters were perfect, Mabel began to decorate two envelopes, one addressed to Tom Nook and the other addressed to Sable. She generously placed hearts all over the envelopes and stickers of stars. Labelle helped in sealing the letters perfectly inside.

"Finished!" Mabel cheered excitedly as she held the two letters in her paws.

"Are we mailing them?" Labelle asked.

"Nope, Pelly wouldn't allow it. She prefers addresses on the mail, not anonymous senders," Mabel explained.

"We could drop it off at the doorstep of the shops. Sable is opening in the morning," Labelle suggested.

"Great idea!" Mabel smiled.

The sisters walked out of their house quietly and crossed the train station tracks over to the back part of the town where the line of shops sat. Labelle placed the letter at the doorstep of Tom Nook's shop, while Mabel placed the letter at the doorstep of their shop. Quickly, they ran back to their house.

Sable had not awakened when they arrived home. Both Mable and Labelle without any other conversation retired to their rooms for the night. When morning came, Mabel and Labelle walked together to their shop talking excitedly of what Sable's first reaction would be. As Mabel opened the door, she looked over to Sable. Sable looked up and greeted her sisters as usual, "Hello Mabel and Labelle!"

Both Mabel and Labelle noticed Sable's usual reaction. They looked at each other feeling a little confused. Was there an error in the letter? Sable continued her sewing.  
"Ah hey Sable, was there any leftover mail at the door this morning?" Mabel asked curiously as she placed her bag down on one of the smaller tables.

"Well there was one, but it was soggy from the rain and very unreadable when I opened it," Sable mentioned as she continued sewing not looking up at her sister.

Mabel and Labelle's face dropped in shock. They didn't consider the rain.

"Well that explains the dark clouds in the sky from last night," Labelle whispered to Mabel with a sigh.

"Was the letter important? Pete should have placed it in our own mailbox at home instead of leaving it at our shop," Sable asked feeling disappointed in Pete's poor service.

Mabel sighed and shook her head in return when Sable looked over at her. She then buried her face into one of the mannequins.

"Oh well," she said feeling a little frustrated.

~to be continued


	3. Chapter 3: Lost Journal

Chapter 3: Lost Journal

Mabel rolled on the floor of Labelle's room, ignoring the dust that was getting into her fur. She was more bothered at the fact the love letter didn't work. She tried to come up with more ideas, but the execution felt impossible.

"Why don't we get them to talk to each other?" Labelle suggested as she watched her sister roll around the floor back and forth.

"Sable is too introverted! She'll find a way to escape or make an excuse!" Mabel said half way rolling, "If we were to make her talk to Tom Nook, it has to be in a place where she's stuck and feels forced to talk to him."

"Finding a place for them two is going to be difficult," Labelle sighed as she rested her head on the table.

"UGH!" Mabel groaned and pounded her fists onto the floor. At that instant pound, she heard a hollow sound through the floor boards.

"What was that?" Mabel asked as she raised her head and she pounded the floor again.

"What was what?" Labelle asked in return raising her head and looking towards Mabel's direction.

"There's something under the floor boards," Mabel pointed out as she pounded again. As she did once more, she found a somewhat loose floorboard piece.

"Labelle! A little help please!" Mabel politely asked as she stood up and tried to pry open the floor board with all her strength.

Labelle instantly got off her seat, walked over, and grabbed the other side of the floor board. As they pulled together the floorboard came apart. Inside the secret compartment revealed a dusty looking book. Mabel reached inside and grabbed it quickly. After placing the floorboard back, she and Labelle took a seat at the table with the book laid in front of them.

"I wonder what this is?" Mabel wondered as she opened up the book.

Written inside the cover of the journal was a message that read, "This journal belongs to Sable".

"Omigosh!" Mabel squeaked, "I didn't know Sable kept a journal!"

"This was her old sewing room, there could be other things in here she forgot about," Labelle mentioned as she went closer next to Mabel to take a peek at the journal's contents.

"I feel bad reading something so private, but this should give us a clue of how to bring Tom and Sable together," Mabel announced as she turned to the first page.

The first few entries weren't as entertaining as the sisters had hoped. It was mostly Sable talking about her day of working and the shows she was watching, nothing too exciting. Finally they came to a significant entry:

 _Tom Nook invited me to meet with him tonight for a small chat. I wonder what he wants to talk about?_

Mabel and Labelle looked at each other in awe and eagerly continued reading.

 _It was a cloudless night and the stars were out. Tom had asked me to meet him at the shoreline. When I had approached him, I was surprised at the small set up he created. He had a small picnic blanket laid out. On top of the blanket was a small plate that carried a cupcake. I had asked him what all of this was for, and he confessed that he wanted to do something special before he had to officially take leave to work in the city. I had wondered if he would ever come back, but I suppressed those feelings. Accepting and supporting Tom is what I should focus on._

 _We sat watching the waves and talking about the past. When we tried to share and eat the cupcake that sat between us, it gave a hard and tasteless texture. The cupcake was stale. Tom didn't realize the expiration date on the plastic box it came with. Yet, we shared a laugh together for his mistake._

 _Before we retired for the night, Tom made one request. He mentioned an annual dance in the city and hoped one day he'd take me. I was flattered by his offer, but I quickly turned him down. I told him of my situation and how much I wanted to focus on taking care of Mabel and our family's store. He understood, but I could tell he was bit saddened by my response. Nonetheless he promised to write to me every day and visit whenever he can._

"Is there more?" Labelle asked as Mabel turned the page.

"I'm checking," Mabel replied as she flipped through the pages. It wasn't until the end of the journal, did she find one last written entry.

 _When Tom arrived from his job in the city, he was a changed raccoon. His eyes that always daydreamed now turned into eyes that seek fortune. I tried having a usual conversation with him, but it always ended up with him talking about setting up a business here in the village and how much bells he needed to start. Our talks ended up short each time we met, that slowly we stopped talking to each other altogether._

"That's it," Mabel concluded as she closed the journal.

"That's why they haven't talked to each other," Labelle said feeling saddened, "Tom Nook focused so much on his business, he forgot about Sable."

"There's still a chance for them to talk! There's evidence in here that Tom wanted to take Sable to a dance someday. The Valentine's Day dance will be the new opportunity!" Mabel announced with a glisten in her eye.

"Tom Nook might be willing to go if that's the case, but Sable is going to require a lot more convincing," Labelle mentioned.

Both sisters pondered for a moment.

"I got it! She'll have to go if we enforce this idea!" Mabel said while hopping off her seat.

"Oh? What is it?" Labelle asked curiously as she got out of her seat too.

"Let's go see Dr. Shrunk," Mabel answered as she grabbed Labelle's paw and pulled her along with her out the door.

~to be continued


	4. Chapter 4: Gardenia

Chapter 4: Gardenia

When Mabel and Labelle arrived at Club 101, Dr. Shrunk and the legendary K.K. Slider were having a discussion for the festivities on Valentine's Day.

"Oh! Able sisters, what a surprise!" Dr. Shrunk greeted Mabel and Labelle, "what brings you two here?"

Dr. Shrunk was surprised by the extra company. He thought he locked the front door before he spoke with K.K. Slider.

"Ah Mister Shrunk, we need your help," Mabel began.

She started off with having a hard time convincing Sable to go to the dance, from wanting Tom Nook to go and possibly dancing with Sable, to finally revealing a small part of their romantic history. Dr. Shrunk and K.K. listened very carefully and felt interested in helping the pair come together.

"This certainly changes our original plans," K.K. mentioned as he looked at Dr. Shrunk for any suggestions.

"It certainly does! Mabel and Labelle, I would be happy to help you two out in inviting Sable and Tom Nook to the dance. On top of that! We can dedicate part of the festivities to them. Hopefully that will get them to talking to each other," Dr. Shrunk explained with a glisten in his eye.

"It also inspires me to write a new song too, "K.K. added in with a nod.

Mabel gave a gasp, "A new song you say?!"

"That's right, I'm diggin' this new romantic vibe," K.K. replied as he took out his notepad and began writing the first few notes.

"By the way girls, when I arrive at the store tomorrow I'll pretend we didn't have this conversation. A little bit of unawareness on our part should help convince Sable to go to the dance," Dr. Shrunk explained with a wink.

"Sounds good to us," Labelle replied, "We should start heading back to our house. Sable might be looking for us."

Mabel and Labelle thanked Dr. Shrunk and K.K. for their consideration and exited out the door. It certainly felt like everything was falling into place for the Valentine's Day dance.

It was the day before Valentine's Day and the Able Sisters were doing their usual business. As one of their customers exited the store, Dr. Shrunk walked right in.

"Hello Able Sisters!" he greeted, "Did you all receive an invitation for the Valentine's Day dance tomorrow evening?"

"We certainly did Mister Shrunk!" Mabel answered happily as she adjusted the dress on a mannequin.

"Glad to hear that!" Dr. Shrunk replied with a huge grin on his face. He looked over to Sable who didn't seem to be listening.

"Ahem, Sable?" Dr. Shrunk greeted over into her direction, "Will you be going to the dance tomorrow evening?"

Sable looked up and stopped sewing, "Hm? No I can't unfortunately. I have work," she replied politely turning down the offer.

"The dance will start after the shops close at 5pm. I heard your sisters are going for sure. You wouldn't want to be the only animal in the village working now would you?"

Sable felt pressured a little. She looked towards Mable, who only gave her a smile. She turned back to Dr. Shrunk.

"Ah umm," Sable hesitated, "I suppose not…"

"Great! We'll be seeing you tomorrow evening!" Dr. Shrunk replied immediately. He quickly turned around and with a small skip in his step he was out the door.

Sable gave a sigh as soon as the door closed.

"Sable cheer up! It's better to go to a dance than work!" Mabel insisted as she saw the disappointed look across Sable's face.

"Well it's not like I'll be doing anything at that dance. I might as well stay at home," Sable sighed as she adjusted the fabric underneath the sewing machine.

"There's more to life than just sewing sis," Mabel said in defense as she adjusted a shirt on another mannequin, "one day you're going to let your sewing consume you so much, you won't realize that Labelle and I have already moved on with our lives. It's time to open your eyes Sable."

Sable stopped adjusting the fabric and realized Mabel's words. She looked over at Mable, who didn't look into her direction as she was fixated adjusting the mannequin. Sable kept the rest of her opinions to herself. She couldn't help shake off Mabel's comment, she was right after all.

Work the next day went by rather quickly, as all the animals in the village were excited that it was nearly time for the Valentine's Day dance. The Able Sisters went home right after work to figure out their dresses. Labelle dressed quickly in hers. Her dress was adorned with pink lace and pretty bows, whereas Mabel had a simplistic red plaid dress. Sable was taking her time in the bathroom getting ready.

"Sable, are you okay in there?" Mabel asked as she knocked on the bathroom door.

"Yes, it's just, I feel rather silly in mine," Sable admitted as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"It is your first dance," Mabel shrugged, "it can't be that bad. I'm sure you picked something very nice."

"Well what do you think?"

When Sable stepped out of the bathroom, Labelle and Mabel stood there awestruck. Her dress was made out of silk and had a style of elegance.

"My my! You look stunning Sable!" Mabel complimented as the heat rose to her cheeks. She felt flustered just looking at Sable.

"Oh stop," Sable commented avoiding eye contact.

"No really, you do look stunning," Labelle chimed in, "there's no doubt about that. You'll be the talk of the town for sure!"

Sable continued to avoid eye contact, but she was speechless.

"Thank you," she said finally looking up.

The Able Sisters didn't waste any more time, they arrived at the dance nearly the same time as the village did. Almost everyone was dancing on the floor with K.K. Slider, now transformed to DJ K.K., playing some upbeat club music. Sable stood shyly on the side as she watched Mabel and Labelle dance. She was approached by a few of the villagers who also complimented her fashion sense.

"Ahem! Welcome everyone to the Valentine's Day Dance!" Dr. Shrunk announced over the mic as the music turned down, "Tonight's focus is all about love in the air and I wanted to honor two villagers tonight. These two have had quite an interesting history together and I feel tonight is the time to make their dreams come true."

There was a murmur in the air as some of the villagers were curious as to who Dr. Shrunk would be talking about. Mabel heard someone behind her wonder if it was Pete and Pelly. She instantly gave a slight giggle.

"If the two villagers could please join in the center of the dance floor," Dr. Shrunk began, "Tom Nook and Sable Able!"

The crowd cheered and were very surprised, everyone began talking at once. Sable felt her legs go stiff as she kept her place near the wall. Tom Nook took his time getting to the center of the dance floor.

"Come on Sable!" Mable commented as she walked over to Sable and pulled her arm along, "this will be exciting!" Labelle joined along pulling Sable's other arm.

"Was this your idea Mable and Labelle?!" Sable asked as she was being dragged by the both of them.

"I will neither confirm nor deny!" Mabel laughed.

Before Sable could run away, she was already facing Tom Nook and they were in the middle of the dance floor. Everyone still continued talking all at once.

"Here to play a special song for the both of them is the original K.K. Slider!" Dr. Shrunk announced as he revealed K.K. on the stage with his guitar.

Dr. Shrunk quickly left the stage allowing K.K. to sit in the middle of it.

"How's it going everybody? I've been inspired of the story between Tom Nook and Sable to create this very special song. I dedicate this song to both of you, 'Stale Cupcakes'," K.K. announced.

Sable felt her heart fly a little. She recalled the last time she spent with Tom at the shoreline underneath the stars. She looked over to Tom beside her, who reached out his paw out to her.

"How about we dance a little?" Tom offered shyly with a slight tint of red going across his face.

Sable hesitated; she looked towards the crowd as they all watched carefully wondering what she will do next. As she looked into Tom's eyes, she realized how different they've become, yet so familiar. They weren't the eyes of a greedy businessman, but rather someone who daydreamed and waited for this special day. She gladly accepted. As she placed her paw into Tom's paw, everything fell into place. Suddenly they were gliding across the dance floor slow dancing to Stale Cupcakes. Sable and Tom continued looking into each other eyes and they made their careful steps. The whole crowd was silent now, with only K.K. singing, everyone was in trance.

Tom smiled a little and decided to break the small silence between them, "Sable I'm sorry for my actions years ago. I should have said something before I focused on opening my business here," he apologized.

"Oh Tom," Sable began sensing Tom's guilt, "You don't have to apologize. We both had very busy lives. It's only natural we'd lose contact."

"But I do owe an apology!" Tom cut in, "I was so caught up in my selfish actions I forgot the hedgehog I cared about the most."

Sable felt her cheeks grow warm as the tint of red streaked across her freckles.

"Sable, do you forgive me? Will you give me another chance to make things right?" Tom asked, "I'm sorry if I sound pushy, but I just want to make up for all the lost time."

Sable took a deep breath and began recalling the time when Labelle apologized for running away from home. It was better to forgive rather than hold onto anger. She then thought about the situation between her and Tom. She could feel deep within her heart, how much she truly missed him. She missed their conversations, their walks together under the starlight, and the silly moments when Tom failed at being romantic. The answer was clear. She looked up back into Tom's eyes and gave a nod.

"I forgive you and I would love to give you another chance," she said with a smile.

Tom's face beamed and to everyone's surprise, he gave Sable a tight embrace. The villagers cheered and K.K. smiled as he sang the last note of the song. Tom and Sable released each other from their embrace and looked into each other's eyes once more. Their hearts truly felt rekindled in a new spark.

The sun was beaming outside and it was a good day at work. Sable was doing her usual sewing, but she held a smile on her face as she did it. Mabel was decorating the store with a few flowers to welcome in the season of Spring. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it!" Mabel announced as she hurriedly ran over to the door. When she opened it, standing in front of her was Pete, who was holding a package.

"Delivery for Sable!" Pete announced as he handed over the package.

"Thank you!" Mabel replied as she grabbed the package. When Pete had flown away, Mabel carefully closed the door.

"I wonder what's in it?" Mabel asked as she placed the package in front of Sable.

Sable stopped sewing and looked at the label on the package. She noticed Tom's name scribbled across it.

"Oh! It's from Tom," Sable happily replied as she took out a pair of scissors and removed the tape. There was a bunch of tissue paper stuffed inside. Mabel helped in tossing out the tissue paper into the trash. When it was clear of tissue paper, sitting at the bottom of the box was a Gardenia flower with a small card.

"What does it say?!" Mabel excitedly asked as she tried to peek at the message.

"It says, 'I hope your day is going well'," Sable replied as she folded the card back together.

Mabel giggled and nudged Sable on the shoulder, "That's sweet of him to think of you," she said with a wink.

Sable blushed, "Yes, yes he is," she said softly while picking up the flower and observing its bright white petals.

The End


End file.
